Masked Robbers With Guns Storm Paris Apple Store In $1.3M Heist

Apple’s retail store in Paris was targeted by armed robbers on New Year’s Eve, who managed to bag an estimated $1.25 million worth of goods. The attack took place at 9 p.m. local time on Monday, around three hours after the store had closed, Paris police confirmed. Although no Apple staff were on the premises, a security guard and a cleaner were in the store.

The two suspects reportedly broke into the store through the employee entrance and attacked the guard and cleaner on duty, “slightly” injuring one of the, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The store sits behind the Palais Garnier, which houses the Paris Opera, and is near the Galeries Lafayette department store. It’s thought the robbery was timed to coincide with the New Year’s Eve celebrations on the Champs-Elysées, one of the world’s most famous and festive streets, where police may have been focused at the time.

Paris police have said, however, that the New Year’s celebrations did not compromise security in other parts of the city: “A police presence is put in place every New Year’s near the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero and Champs-Elyséees, but that doesn’t intervene at all with the regular security on duty in other parts of Paris.”

Local reports have claimed that around €1 million, roughly $1.25 million, worth of goods were taken during the attack, which lasted around 40 minutes. Paris police are investigating the theft, but they were unable to confirm the extent of the damage or any further details.

Apple retail stores have become a hot target for burglars as the Cupertino company’s Macs and iOS devices become increasingly popular. There’s always a huge demand for the company’s latest devices, so thieves know that it won’t be difficult to sell the goods they’ve acquired.